And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.
At the sight of Benjamin, Joseph is overcome with tender, yearning brotherly love for his full brother, his mother's son, after asking about his father Jacob's welfare and blessing Benjamin. His affection yearns so deeply that he weeps for Benjamin. He hurries away to his private chamber to weep in private.
He then washes his face and restrains himself, regaining self-control. The washing hides his tears. The restraint keeps him from revealing who he is.
He comes out and returns to his brothers at the meal and commands that bread be served, telling the attendants to serve the food. At the meal he orders, Joseph eats apart from his brothers because Egyptians consider eating bread with Hebrews an abomination. The brothers are seated in birth order from eldest to youngest, as though their ages were perfectly known.
Benjamin is given five times as much as the others to show special regard and to prove whether the brothers still harbor envy. Joseph listens to their free conversation in Hebrew to learn their true feelings without their knowledge.
At the sight of Benjamin, Joseph is overcome with tender, yearning brotherly love for his full brother, his mother's son, after asking about his father Jacob's welfare and blessing Benjamin. His affection yearns so deeply that he weeps for Benjamin. He hurries away to his private chamber to weep in private.
He then washes his face and restrains himself, regaining self-control. The washing hides his tears. The restraint keeps him from revealing who he is.
He comes out and returns to his brothers at the meal and commands that bread be served, telling the attendants to serve the food. At the meal he orders, Joseph eats apart from his brothers because Egyptians consider eating bread with Hebrews an abomination. The brothers are seated in birth order from eldest to youngest, as though their ages were perfectly known.
Benjamin is given five times as much as the others to show special regard and to prove whether the brothers still harbor envy. Joseph listens to their free conversation in Hebrew to learn their true feelings without their knowledge.